Community Tasting Notes 42

• forceberry wrote: 92 points

  December 30, 2022 - 100% Chardonnay from the dry-farmed 17-yo plot in Santa Cruz Mountains. Fermented spontaneously, aged in partially new French oak barrels. 14,4% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Youthful yellow-green color. The nose feels characterful and fragrant with aromas of gooseberries and fresh Golden Delicious apple, some sweeter notes of ripe nectarine, light green nuances of asparagus, a hint of creamy oak and a nutty touch of slivered almonds. The wine is crisp, dry and balanced on the palate with a medium body and focused flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple and apple peel bitterness, some nutty notes of wood, a little bit of creamy oak, light crunchy notes of fresh gooseberries, a toasty hint of popcorn and a touch of apricot. The rather high acidity lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is dry, fresh and quite focused with a moderately long aftertaste of Golden Delicious apple and cantaloupe, some woody tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light crunchy notes of golden currants and gooseberries, a hint of apple peel bitterness and a touch of nectarine.
  
  A surprisingly fresh, precise and focused Chardonnay. Although the wine is at almost identical ABV% as the 2007 vintage we had earlier this year, the difference between these wines is remarkable. That 2007 had a similarly brisk acidic spine, yet it came across as pretty heavy and somewhat clumsy with its more noticeable ripeness and rather pronounced oaky tones. This 2010 was instead slightly sleeker in body with less obvious ripeness in the fruit department and more integrated oak influence. A lovely wine that feels somewhat younger than what I'd expect from a 12-yo Cali Chardonnay. Great stuff that is drinking really well right now, but also shows potential for further development.

  Comment

• Frijole wrote:

  October 21, 2020 - golden yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue
  Nose: ripe pear, green apple, musk, minerals, vanilla, clove, white pepper,
  oak
  Pal: ripe pear, green apple, musk, minerals, lime, clove, white pepper, oak
  Feel: medium, savory
  Finish: medium
  T6
  horribly made wine, not aging well....blustery, California chard, no class

  Comment

• SteveVermeer Likes this wine: 92 points

  February 2, 2020 - Drank with a Balsamic and Pear Chicken dish, excellent. Drink now or hold for a couple of more years. Great wine.

  Comment

• thelostverse wrote: 93 points

  January 16, 2019 - This was back to normal after a questionable showing with the last bottle. Apples and pears with deft touch of oak.

  Comment

• LARich Likes this wine: 92 points

  January 14, 2019 - Crisp and clean but starting to show it’s age. Drink up!

  Comment

Pro Reviews 3

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2010
• Type White
• Producer Varner
• Varietal Chardonnay
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Santa Cruz Mountains
• Appellation Santa Cruz Mountains

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 12 (2%)
• In Cellars 151 (26%)
• Consumed 416 (72%)

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